IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU Set as Opening Night Film for MIFF

The Rose Byrne-led dramedy, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, has been announced as the official Opening Night film of the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), with tickets now on sale. The second feature from US writer-director Mary Bronstein will make its Australian Premiere this August, following its screening at Sundance and Bryne’s Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at Berlinale. 

The festival’s prestigious Opening Night Gala will take place at Hoyts Melbourne Central on Thursday 7 August, ushering in a thrilling three weeks of cinema across the city and beyond. The program runs until Sunday, 24 August.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You follows Linda, an emotionally depleted and physically stretched psychologist juggling demanding clients, the needs of a sick child and a growing abyss that has formed in her apartment roof.

With supporting appearances from Conan O’Brien, Christian Slater, A$AP Rocky and Australia’s own Danielle Macdonald, the film careens between anxious comedy and raw emotional depth as Linda goes from barely keeping it together to outright desperation. Anchored by Byrne’s razor-sharp timing and disarming vulnerability, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You delivers a darkly funny, deeply human portrait of one working mother’s reluctant resilience. 

For audiences nationwide, MIFF Online returns from 15-31 August, offering an extended 18-day window of at-home viewing. Showcasing a limited selection of festival titles alongside a collection of free short films, the digital platform, hosted on ACMI’s Cinema 3 – continues the MIFF experience beyond the closing credits in cinemas.

Capping off the festival, the MIFF Awards will take place on Saturday 23 August, honouring outstanding filmmaking talent with one of the most generous prize pools in the world. At its heart is the $140,000 Bright Horizons Award, presented with the support of the Victorian Government through VicScreen. The MIFF 2025 program will be revealed in full on Thursday 10 July. 

Tickets to the Opening Night Gala presentation of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You are available to members from 10.00am AEST today and to the general public at 10.00am AEST on Wednesday 2 July. Attendees can choose a film-only ticket to enjoy the fun on the red carpet or a film and party ticket which includes access to MIFF’s legendary Opening Night Gala after party at the State Library of Victoria. 

All other tickets will go on sale to MIFF Members for an exclusive pre-sale from 8pm AEST Thursday 10 July and will be on sale to the general public from 10am AEST Tuesday 15 July.

Australia - Melbourne Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL (Regent Theatre, Melbourne)

54.6% of votes

2. TWELFTH NIGHT (St Kilda Botanical Gardens)

18.4% of votes

3. MJ THE MUSICAL (Her Majesty's Theatre)

16% of votes

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